Clubs, liquor & gaming

Overview

Registered and licensed clubs, and other clubs and associations, play a vital role in supporting local communities and strengthening social cohesion. By delivering a diverse and affordable range of services, employing more than 100,000 people and supporting hundreds of local suppliers, there is no doubt those clubs play a highly valued role in Australian society.

Colin Biggers & Paisley is one of the few law firms with recognised registered club law expertise. Our team has been advising registered clubs for more than 40 years and is proud to have long advised many registered clubs including several of the largest. 

Liquor and gaming are significant sectors of the economy more generally. Our work for clubs, hotels and other hospitality providers sees us providing expert assistance in relation to the myriad specific requirements and challenges specifically associated with those sectors as well as being a trusted adviser in the boardroom and bringing a deep understanding of those areas as we also work on and assist with the range of commercial, operational, and other regulatory matters for those clients.

Other types of clubs, associations and organisations are also prominent and important not-for-profit bodies across the community - and not least, the care economy, where we are also particularly active.

Our team brings together legal expertise and long experience in the areas of governance, corporate and commercial, construction, finance, property and planning, employment, dispute resolution, specific registered club matters, and liquor licensing and gaming matters.

Our expertise is applied based on that experience and deep understanding, to assist our clients with practical, real-world, best practice guidance and assistance.

That involves working closely with CEOs and senior executives, and with Boards, to provide counsel based on deep industry knowledge and lived experience.

That also involves working closely with our clients’ other professional advisers – and we have many active and good connections and relationships with accountants and other advisers and consultants who assist organisations in these areas.

Our experience is as wide as it is deep, enabling us to provide clear advice that cuts through difficult and complex situations to support decision-making and actionable solutions.

Our team includes lawyers who are chartered company secretaries, fellows of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and non-executive directors and board chairs. 

Our experience includes advising on:

• advertising, marketing and promotions 
• applications for and dealings with, liquor licences and variations
• Board, member and committee operations
• club amalgamations, insolvencies and workouts
• club constitutions, governance and statutory compliance
• competition law 
• dispute and claims resolution, including claims against clubs, officers of clubs, general disputes – and including related insurance matters
• elections; convening and conduct of meetings
• employment and industrial relations, including employment contracts and policies, enterprise bargaining, claims relating to unfair dismissals, discrimination, bullying, harassment, wages and workers’ compensation
• gaming, including gaming threshold applications and gaming machine entitlement transactions
• information, technology and computing arrangements and rights
• insurance coverage and risk management
• intellectual property, including trademark and names protection
• member disputes and disciplinary matters
• not-for-profit and mutual bodies
• premises leasing
• procurement and commercial contracts, including for catering, contractors, consultants, entertainment, security, technology and supply contracts 
• property transactions; developments and redevelopments, ranging from finance and site acquisition to planning, zoning, development and construction  
• privacy matters, data breaches and cyber security
• regulatory enquiries, complaints, penalties and prosecutions
• setting up new operators and clubs
• unincorporated associations.

The different legal groupings that make up our club, liquor and gaming law team are recognised in respected guides to Australia’s best lawyers including Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers in Australia.